Method and apparatus for reducing rolls to sheets



7, 1957 c. J. VAN RIPER 2,804,140

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REDUCING ROLLS TO SHEETS Filed Nov. 23. 1953 2Sheets-Sheet 1 26 i so 10 2a -12 INVENTOR.

Aug. 27, 1957 c. J. VAN RIPER 2,804,140

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REDUCING ROLLS To SHEETS Filed Nov. 23, 1953 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Pig. 2

IN VEN TOR.

UnitedStates PatentQ METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REDUCING ROLLS T SHEETSCourtney J. Van Riper, Franklin, Va., assignor to Union Bag-Camp PaperCorporation, near Franklin, Va., a corporation of Virginia It is anobject of this invention to provide a method and machine whereby largediameter rolls of paper, the paper within the rolls being substantiallycontinuous, may be reduced to a plurality of sheets or strips of limitedlength.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a method andapparatus as aforesaid in which not only personnel requirements areminimized, but also hazard to personnel.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a method andapparatus as aforesaid in which a large variety of roll widths anddiameters may be accommodated without adjustment.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a method andapparatus as aforesaid which are readily adaptable to automatic handlingof incoming rolls and outgoing sheets and strips.

The above and other objects will be made clear from the followingdetailed description taken in connection With the annexed drawings inwhich:

Fig. l is a front elevation of the improved machine; and

Fig. 2 is an elevation at right angles to Fig. 1.

Paper mills are of two basic types: the integrated mill and theconverting mill. The former operates on pulp generated by an adjacent orcaptive pulp mill. The latter operates by pulping either pulp sheets orlaps, or by pulping waste paper, or a mixture of fresh pulp and wastepaper. The term waste paper" is rather elastic, but for the purpose ofthe present disclosure it means paper in regular commercial rolls which,for whatever reason, either has not or would not satisfy the buyersspecifications. As used herein, the word paper includes boards such asliner, chip, patent coated etc. The roll of waste paper will vary from24" to 56" in diameter and from 18 to 84" in width. The rolls are woundon cores which vary from 3" to 9" in outside diameter. These cores maybe made of wood, in which case they are returnable, or of wound up papertubing, in which case they are non-returnable. It is not at all unusualfor a single roll to weigh as much as two or even three tons.

Heretofore, in reducing such rolls to sheets for repulping purposes twodifferent methods have been used. The first involves making cuts with abroad axe along a line roughly parallel to the axis of the roll. Thesecond involves making similar cuts with a knife of the type used to cutlinoleum. In either case the work is hard and dangerous. More injuriesto personnel occur in this department than in the rest of the millcombined. Such work is an anachronism in the present day. Obviously theonly labor available for Work of this sort is strictly of the strongback and weak mind category, accident prone, and not at all fitting themodern requirement of versatility.

The present invention contemplates a fluid pressure operated tool whichattacks a roll radially and which acts not only to sever consecutivelayers of the roll but also to separate these along the line ofseverance so as automatically to provide clearance for the furtheradvance of the tool. These large rolls, when not supported at the sidesare quire elastic and subject to considerable deformation before cuttingtakes place. For this reason, a slow, gradual approach of the tool ispreferred to a rapid, impact action.

Referring now to Figs. 1' and 2 there is shown a frame designatedgenerally as 10 made up of vertical I-beams 12 welded at their top endsto horizontal I-beams 14 and at their bottom ends to a base plate 16. Apair of horizontal I-beams 24 are welded to the underside of the pair ofbeams 14. Adjacent each of ,the vertical beams 12 are mounted guide rods18 having one end secured in a fixture 20 which in turn is secured to abeam 14, and having the opposite end secured in a fixture 22 which inturn is secured to the base plate 16.

A series of plates 26 are secured to the beams 24 and from these dependa series of cylinders 28. Each cylinder 28 has a combination inlet andoutlet 30 at its upper end and a similar connection 32 at its lower end.These connections all run to a single conventional four way valve whichwill supply fluid pressure, preferably compressed air, alternately toopposite ends of the cylinders. Within each cylinder is a conventionalpiston, not shown, and from each piston depends a rod 34.

The rods 34 are secured by fixtures 36 to the central cross member 40 ofan H-shaped platen 38. Bearings 42 are formed in each corner of theplaten 38 and each bearing 42 surrounds a rod 18. A blade holder 44 iswelded to the cross member 40. As best shown in Fig. 1, the sides of theholder 44 are curved to produce a taper toward the free end of theholder. A blade 46 has on its upper surface a tongue 47 which enters amating groove in the holder 44 and is secured therein.

Mounted on the base plate 16 is a roll supporting frame 48 having acentral, flat sided groove 50 which receives and supports a roll ofpaper 52 not only vertically but also laterally. Rolls of paper, even ofgreat weight roll quite easily. The groove 50 immobilizes each roll toawait the approach of the knife.

With a roll 52 in position, air is supplied under pressure to the upperinlets 30. The rods 34 impel the platen 38, the holder 44 and the knife46 toward the roll. As the knife makes contact with the roll, theinitial action is one of compression. The roll is flattened at top andbottom and is distended laterally. When the limit of compression isreached, the knife begins to cut through the consecutive layers ofpaper, reducing each convolution to an independent sheet. The combinedprofiles of the knife and its holder are such as to separate the severededges of each convolution, which, due to the lateral distension of theroll are under tension. The result is that the severed convolutionspromptly flop into the general plane of the frame 48. The knife,therefore is self-clearing. This is an important feature since the knifemay be called on to cut through as much as 26" of superimposed plies.

As a safety measure, it is recommended that a foot valve be placed ineach of the lines 32. These valves should be biased to resist any rapiddownward movement of the platen 38 such as might result from a failureof air pressure. Such valves are conventional and it is not considerednecessary to disclose their mechanical details.

It will be clear that the frame 48 may be mounted on a wheeled dolly orplaced on a conveyor. Also that the frame 48 could be surfaced withconveyor rolls with or without a conveyor belt passing over such rolls.The choice will depend entirely on the arrangement of the particularmill in which this method and apparatus are installed.

While certain mechanical details are disclosed herein,

in practice these are susceptible of considerable variation within thescope of this invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limitedto the details disclosed herein but only as set forth in the subjoinedclaims. I

1. A method of reducing large rolls of paper-to strips of limited lengthcomprising: supporting a roll against lateral displacement and alsosupporting said roll at least partially against rolling displacement;contacting the roll with a knife blade arranged parallel to the rollaxis and at least co-extensive in length with the roll; guiding theknife to move in the plane of the axisrgradually advancing said bladeradially inwardly of the roll, thereby compressing the roll to anoblate, transverse cross-section and thereafter continuing such advanceto sever consecutive layers of said roll.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 in which the roll is supported withits axis horizontal.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1 in which the radially inward advanceis exerted vertically downward whereby the margin of consecutivelysevered sheets may fall by gravity to a horizontal position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 8,029XAmes Feb. 28, 1834 1,727,406 Nelson Sept. 10, 1929 1,730,821 KempterOct. 8, 1929 1,732,880 Eisenhauer Oct. 22, 1929 1,753,561 Emmert Apr. 8,1930 1,866,095 Foley July 5, 1932

